What a pleasant surprise lay in store for me when I visited my parents-in-law in Chembur on a February evening, (a quiet, peace-loving suburb in Mumbai) and saw that the local annual festival was on and the streets were all so festive and bustling with activity. People of all ages were thronging the streets either joining in the processions, patronising the local small businesses selling home-made products:pickles, jams, sauces,spice mixes, organic delights, handicrafts and more (with that personal touch so bereft of when bought at a commercial level) which had set up makeshift stalls on the sidewalk lining the entire stretch of the main lane or simply curious onlookers like me! I’ve known this place for over three decades having married into a family here in the late 80s. It was wonderful to see the great sense of belonging amongst participants. This event called the Chembur Festival is one such expression. The festival, I was told, was initiated by the Chembur Citizen’s Welfare Association a few years ago on a modest scale with the aim of reviving, rejuvenating and propagating the character of Chembur. Given the kind of enthusiasm of the young and the old to take it to the next level each year, I intend to save the date and make it an annual pilgrimage!
